Velocity
by StarWarrior72
Summary: Velocity is all that is needed to break away.
1. Luke I

Luke looked up at his father's form. They had been walking since dawn, and he was exhausted. Vader seemed to be having no such problem. He continued, just as strong and unspeaking as ever. Luke was sweating, thirsty, hungry and tired, but his father hadn't mentioned feeling any of those discomforts.

Luke was reluctant to be the one to bring them up. This was his chance to prove his worth. He could sense, or at least thought he could sense, a frustrated pride from Vader that he had managed to shoot down his ship. On the other hand, his father's anger that he had got himself stuck on the planet as well was far more obvious.

From the moment he'd managed to get his father out of his ship, the only words his father had spoken had been one sentence. "What were you thinking?"

Then Vader had stood and walked away, and Luke had been forced to run after him, feeling a little more dependent than he would have liked to.

"Do you think there are any people around here?" Luke asked, partly just wanting to be answered.

"You're Force sensitive. See for yourself."

Luke sighed. It was an answer, at least. He jumped up onto a boulder, then grabbed a rock on the cliff they were climbing. His sweaty hands slipped, and Vader caught him with one hand, setting him unceremoniously on the ledge again. Luke blushed, and tried again. He made it that time, but there was no response from his father.

Wishing Vader would just speak to him, Luke jumped up for the next rock, catching it and dragging himself up.

All day, his attempts at climbing had become less and less graceful, hitting an all-time low as he leapt for the next boulder, nearly slipped, caught himself with one toe, ripping a hole in his boot, and slithering up the rock like a snake.

Still, Vader didn't comment. He simply leapt gracefully to a boulder one higher than the one Luke had just scrambled onto.

Ashamed that his father was doing so much better than he, Luke leapt for that rock without due consideration, and Vader caught him again, swinging him up another rock. From any other parent, the action would have seemed to be one of caring, speaking only of wanting to make the climb easier for Luke. Coming from Vader, there was a definite undertone of impatience, as if Luke was slowing him down.

Luke sighed. He hated feeling that way about himself. He didn't like the idea of his father feeling that either.

He threw himself at the next rock, scrambling unsteadily up. Vader was up beside him in no time flat. He didn't even wait for Luke to start to try to get to the next ledge, swinging him up without a word.

"Father?"

Vader didn't even turn to listen, but Luke knew he was. At least on some level.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"We need to get to a higher vantage point. I hope to be able to see a settlement from the top."

"Can't you sense that?" Luke moaned, trying to drag himself to the next rock so as not to be so much of a burden.

"I can't sense any life form besides you."

"Oh," Luke said, feeling hopeless. If his father couldn't sense any beings, that probably meant that climbing this mountain wasn't helping either. A word of comfort would have been much appreciated, but all Vader did was close the gap between himself and his son in less time than it had taken Luke to just catch the next ledge to try to drag himself onto.

In as little time again, he was a ledge above Luke, dragging the youth up to the ledge above himself. Almost as if to embarrass Luke, he skipped that ledge completely, lighting on the one above it, sweeping Luke up again.

Luke didn't even bother to stand up. He just stayed where he'd landed and waited for his father's black glove to close around his collar and lift him again.

Vader obliged.

Then they rested on the same level for a moment, and Vader took a breath as though about to speak. Luke automatically held his breath. His father was going to address him! For the first time in the eighteen or more hours they'd spent together and climbing, his father was finally going to engage in conversation.

"Why aren't you jumping like you did out of the carbon freezing chamber?"

Luke sighed, he should have known that his father wouldn't be speaking for the sake of making Luke more comfortable.

"There was a little more panic involved there."

Vader didn't answer, simply swinging Luke another ledge higher. Luke wanted to defend himself, but he couldn't think how. It didn't look as if he was going to be gaining his father's respect today.

He resumed trying, not wanting to give up completely. Vader was even kind enough to let him struggle up each step without the demeaning gesture of practically carrying him.

Finally, as they neared the top of the mountain, the sun began to rise. Luke collapsed on the ground, unable to move another step.

His father turned and looked at him quizzically.

Luke just shook his head, trying to communicate that he couldn't make it another step.

Vader seemed to understand, as he paused a moment before speaking again, "Stand up."

"I can't!" Luke protested.

"Stand up," Vader repeated impatiently.

Luke yanked himself up, "Okay, now what? I'm not gonna make it three steps!"

Vader nodded, "I'll carry you."

"But," Luke started.

"It's not an offer. Come here."

Blushing scarlet, Luke walked to his father's side.

Vader bent his knees slightly, just enough that Luke could latch his arms around his father's neck. Vader carefully shifted him until he could latch his legs tightly around his father's torso.

"Can you hold on?"

"I guess," Luke muttered, clinging tightly to Vader.

His father began climbing, his son clinging tightly to his neck. He felt ridiculous. He was supposed to be a rebel, a Jedi. It just wasn't fair, he thought childishly, that he would have to be carried by one of the leaders of his enemy. He wished he was strong enough to keep climbing himself. Even his undignified scrabbling had been an improvement on this ridiculousness.

But the rocks were still radiating heat, and Luke was tired. He found himself resting his face on his father's shoulder, going into a stupor.

He didn't know how long it took his father to reach the top of the mountain. The next thing he was aware of was Vader carefully trying to detach him from himself from his son. Luke, still not really awake, tightened his grip, not wanting to be put down.

Vader used the Force to pry his son's fingers from their tight link at his throat. Luke reached for his father automatically.

Vader gave him a sharp shake, "Wake up, Luke. I think you're dreaming."

Luke shook himself, and allowed his father to put him down. He tried to wake himself up more fully, but it seemed hopeless.

"Can you see anything from up here?" he asked.

"Can you?"

"No. My eyes are all blurry."

He thought he might have sensed something like a smile from his father, but it might have been the fact that he was drifting in and out of a dreaming state.

"No. I don't see anything."

Luke felt the tears start to pour down his face. He sensed a resultant confusion from his father.

"We're never going to get away from here, are we?"

"One way or another, I promise you we'll escape."

It was the kindest thing he'd ever heard his father say. It startled him out of his tears for a moment.

Vader nodded, seeming somewhat comforted by his son's calmer attitude, "That's better."

Luke rubbed a sleeve across his face, feeling embarrassed. His eyes were somewhat clearer after that.

"Well, I guess we picked a beautiful planet to be stuck on, at least."

Vader turned to look where Luke was looking, as if he was confused. Luke had, of course been referring to the sunrise. After a moment, Vader nodded slowly.

"We should keep moving. Maybe something's visible from the next range."

Luke screamed. It wasn't mature. It wasn't Jedi-like. It wasn't really anything he wanted anyone to see, but he couldn't stand the idea of having got all the way to the top of their current mountain just to climb down it and walk across the next valley.

Again, his father seemed confused.

"I'm sleeping here. You can go on without me, or you can wait for me, but I will _not_ keep going today."

He felt his father smiling at him and felt childish.

Vader nodded, and Luke retrieved a few branches from nearby trees, piling them atop one another and crawling on top of them to sleep. Sure, it wasn't mature. It wasn't a particularly positive impression, but he needed the sleep.

He fell asleep before his father sat down next to him, running one hand through his hair.


	2. Vader I

Vader looked at his sleeping son once more. Then he gathered some dry wood from the tiny forest and prepared a small fire. Dragging Luke any farther wouldn't be useful at all. He might as well set up a little place for them to stay. He couldn't very well build the technological assistance he needed, not with only the available resources, anyway. But Luke was still mostly just a human, with so much more manageable needs. If anything happened to his prosthetic, that would be another story.

He lit his fire, carefully moving Luke's cot a little closer, wanting him to stay warm.

There. Luke would stay warm. What else would he need? Food, but that was presumably in Luke's pack.

Just to be certain, Vader opened it and carefully searched through until he found a box of nutrition bars.

Surely Luke would want something with more flavour. Not very optimistically, he set off into the tiny forest, which amounted to perhaps a couple dozen trees and a few bushes. To his surprise, he was able to find some berries.

He returned to camp and put them in the empty space in Luke's food box.

Vader glanced at his son and wondered if he should shut off some of the unnecessary components of his suit and sleep as well. As well as he could, anyway.

No. What if it rained?

He went back into the forest. As was the nature of small forests, there wasn't enough wood there to make any kind of shelter. Not if he wanted anything left for firewood.

He exited the forest once more. Perhaps he could use the Force to build a rock structure around his son. He sat next to his boy and began to use the Force to pull huge boulders out of the mountain where he could sense there was little or no weight supported.

It was easier than he'd expected. Soon enough, he'd built the boy a small room from the stone. That was as much as he could do in terms of shelter. There were still a lot of holes, but he couldn't fix them. They needed mud to be filled, and he couldn't get any of that without leaving his son alone.

He couldn't think of anything else his son might need, so he put some more wood on the fire and sat down, resting his helmet in his hands.

One last thing he could do for Luke occurred to him, and he removed his cape and wrapped it around the sleeping boy. Luke curled up and mumbled something. Vader worried for a moment that his son was having a nightmare, but the boy quieted instantly, and he told himself it was just how his son reacted when he was moved.

He left the small cave again, returning to his position, turning off unnecessary functions of his suit, and fell asleep.

"Father?"

Vader felt his son shaking him.

"Father? Are you all right?"

Vader forced his eyes open, looking up at his son. Luke was wet, and looking very concerned.

"Luke, it's raining. Go back inside."

"Oh, good," Luke said, sounding extremely relieved, "Don't do that to me! I thought you were dead!"

Vader didn't answer, instead standing up and carefully starting to push his son back towards his cot.

"I couldn't hear you breathing!" Luke said, still looking scared.

Still, Vader didn't answer. He simply moved his cape off the branches and pushed Luke down onto them, tucking him in again.

Luke didn't close his eyes and drift off again, as Vader had hoped, but stayed awake looking at his father with worry in his eyes.

"I'm all right, Luke. I turned off some unnecessary functions of my suit."

"Breathing isn't unnecessary!"

"Calm down. The rasping sounds are unnecessary. Palpatine likes it for dramatic effect. I'm all right."

"Then," Luke paused, "Your voice too?"

Vader had forgotten he'd turned that particular function off, "Yes."

"Oh, okay."

"Go to sleep, Luke."

"I thought you wanted to keep going!"

"We're the only sentient life-forms on the planet. If we're going to be rescued, it will be from above. This is the best vantage point. We'll see anything coming. I'll light another fire outside of the cave."

"That's another thing, Father. Where did the cave come from?"

"I built it for you. I knew it was going to rain."

"Oh," Luke said, smiling widely.

Vader sighed and started to exit.

"Don't leave," Luke blurted.

"I need to build the fire."

"It's been raining for hours. The ground is mud. You're not going to find any dry wood. And even if you do, the rain will put the fire out faster than you can build it."

Vader had to admit that his son was right.

"That's the trouble with Tatooine. There's no rain," Luke said under his breath. As if lowering his voice would keep his father from hearing him.

"Why do you say that?"

"There was no rain to put out the fire, was there?" Luke answered.

Vader blinked at him. He didn't understand what Luke was talking about.

"My aunt and uncle. The rain didn't come and put out the fire at the farm in time!"

Vader didn't know how to answer that. Should he apologize? Tell Luke to grow up? Ignore the sentence entirely? Try to explain himself?

Luke was shivering despite the warmth of the fire and his father's cape. Vader watched in mild confusion as the boy carefully shook off most of the pine needles from his bed and came over to Vader, looking up into his mask as if expecting to be told to go back to bed at any moment. Vader had no such intention. If Luke would be comforted by being nearer him, then so be it.

It was when Luke moved Vader's arm to curl up under it that Vader started to get uncomfortable. He wasn't a huge teddy bear to be clung to when upset. He was a Sith, and no matter how stuck he was, he was supposed to have some form of dignity.

As if he had read his father's mind, Luke clung tighter.

Vader looked at his son's face, hoping to see something that would mean he could release his son. There was nothing to give that impression.

Sighing, he gave up on the idea of dignity. He wrapped his arms tightly around Luke, bringing the young man closer. Maybe it would be best if Luke cried until he felt better.

Luke obeyed his father's silent order as tears started to trickle down his cheeks.

Vader was surprised when his son seemed to take the lack of rejection to mean that Vader wouldn't mind if he climbed onto the older man's lap.

Vader didn't bother his son as Luke sat there, fistfuls of his father's cape, which he had brought with him, grasped tight in his hands.

As the boy didn't stop crying, Vader felt obliged to intervene.

"Luke, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Luke looked up at his father, his face frantic, "Didn't mean to hurt me? What, does that include my aunt and uncle? Ben? Biggs? Leia? Han? Chewie? All the people of Alderaan? The Alliance? My hand?"

He put his right hand in his father's as if to emphasize the last point, and started to cry again.

"I never meant to hurt you," Vader answered, wanting to avoid apologizing for anything specific, in the hopes that it would keep his son from using the apology against him later.

Luke didn't answer. He didn't beg for more answers. All he did was press himself very close against his father once more.

Vader didn't know what else to do, so he simply held his son close until the boy was asleep.

When, at long last, Luke's breathing evened out from its hitched crying, Vader carefully laid his son back on his cot, carefully arranging the cape over him.

He found himself smiling as he noticed that Luke had been pressing so closely against his father that there were slight indentations on the boy's cheek where the control panel had been pressed against.

When he was quite certain that Luke was safely asleep, he exited the cave to patch the holes with the newly created mud.


	3. Luke II

Luke woke up and blinked around the cave his father had built for him. Vader wasn't present, so Luke got up and walked out of the cave.

His father was on his hands and knees painting mud into holes in the structure.

"Hello."

Vader looked up for a moment, then gave a sharp nod.

Luke felt a twinge in his stomach. He'd been hoping that when his father had held him it had been an indication that all was forgiven and forgotten. Apparently not.

"Can I help?"

Vader indicated the mud that made up the ground and to a patch of unpatched holes.

Luke knelt in the mud and started patching the wall. Looking over at his father's patching, he felt a mixture of comfort and despair. Vader was doing an excellent job. Whilst an excellent symbol of caring, it said very clearly that Vader didn't think they would be getting off anytime soon.

He dipped one hand into the mud around his knees. As he began to splatter it across the holes, he tried to make conversation with his father.

"Any idea how long it'll be before someone comes looking for you?"

"It depends on whether or not Palpatine finds another apprentice. If he does, no one will come at all."

"Oh," Luke said, and sat in silence for several minutes, waiting for his father to ask when his friends would be coming for him. Vader didn't, so Luke felt compelled to fill the gap, "If he does find a new apprentice, but we manage to get off anyway, what would you do?"

Vader didn't answer.

Luke sighed and returned his full attention to patching. It wouldn't hurt too much to talk to him, would it?

"How far back does that patch start?" Vader asked, suddenly standing at Luke's shoulder. Luke leapt to the side automatically, landing on his back in the mud.

Embarrassed, he sat back up, "Which one?"

Vader pointed.

"I dunno. Maybe a couple of inches?"

"The rain will wash it away. You need to start further back."

Luke nodded, and his father moved onto another patch.

Frustrated, he dug the patch back out. He started again, but found himself unable to concentrate. His father was right beside him! He'd always wanted to be close to his father, but Vader was resolutely ignoring him!

Wouldn't it be nice for him too if they were to put everything behind them and just be family? At this point, it didn't look like they would ever be getting back to their warring factions. They might as well try to be close.

"Father, what was Mom like?"

Vader didn't even respond. Not a twitch, never mind a word.

Luke sighed. Maybe conversation was a bad idea. It was clearly not helping either one of them. Maybe if he was patient, his father would decide that he wanted to speak to his son!

With that comforting thought, Luke's mind drifted from the patch he was making. As it followed the roads the idea of rescue, and family ties, brought, he was taken further and further from the mud in his hand.

"Luke!"

Luke thought it was part of his daydream and didn't react.

"Luke!" Vader's next call was accompanied with a shake.

Luke blinked, "Huh?"

"This is a shelter, not a work of art," Vader said, pointing to Luke's patch. In his dreamlike state, Luke had doodled a number of spirals and stars into its surface.

Luke started to bristle before he noticed the lightness in his father's voice. Was that as close as his father came to laughter?

"Sorry," Luke said, going to wipe away the drawings, "I got distracted."

Vader batted his son's arm out of the way, "You may as well leave it. But maybe you should try to focus a little more."

Blushing, Luke returned to patching.

Suddenly, there was the strangest sensation from his hand. He ignored it, continuing patching.

"Luke, there's something wrong with your hand."

Luke had been daydreaming again, though he'd managed to stay more on-task. He looked down at his hands. The left one seemed fine, but the right one…. his father was right. There was something strange about it.

Vader grabbed his hand, bringing it closer to his mask for further investigation.

Luke tried to yank it back, "I'm fine."

"Luke, if we can, we should fix it now before it has the chance to get any worse."

Luke started to feel skittish, not really wanting to trust his father to repair his dominant hand. He didn't know how to say that, though, so he allowed his father to continue to poke at it.

Finally, Vader released his hand.

"Make a fist."

Luke did as he was told and Vader nodded.

"Good."

Luke turned away and continued patching. Of course his father wouldn't talk to him when he wanted to talk, but the moment he let his mind wander, his father would have something that desperately needed saying.

He began to wonder if he let his mind wander often enough if his father would eventually fall to a friendlier topic of conversation.

To test it, he told himself, he let his mind drift again to living with his father.

"Luke?"

Luke snapped out of it in record time.

"If Palpatine does find a new apprentice, what do you think I should do? He'd kill me. Your alliance would kill me. In my current state, I am not particularly capable of hiding."

Luke looked at his father. The older man had finished all the patches except for the area Luke was working on, it seemed.

"I don't know. I guess I never thought about that."

"If I were to take you in, they would be after you as well. If I act as your father now, and we have to part ways, it'll only hurt you."

Luke was somewhat glad to finally have a topic that he could argue, "That's not true. If it means that you've treated me as a son, that'll make all the difference in the galaxy. Anyway, I think I'm already just about as attached to you as I can get. I mean, if anything were to happen to you now, I think I'd probably hate myself."

Vader moved to start patching some of the holes beside Luke, "If anything were to happen to you, I know I'd hate myself. Of course, I already do, but that's beside the point."

Luke didn't know how to answer that. There was only one answer that felt genuine, but his father would think he was being childish.

Vader finished patching the last of the holes and shunted his son back into the dry shelter. He threw a couple of logs on the fire, ones he had moved inside before the rain.

The fire gave an apparently grateful shower of sparks. Luke didn't know what to say to his father. He really, really wanted to speak to him, but his father's defeatist attitude was beginning to make him feel depressed.

It was Vader who finally broke the silence, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have burdened you with that."

Luke shrugged slightly, "It's all right. It was nice that you spoke to me at all."

Vader didn't answer. But he seemed to notice Luke's shivering, because a moment later, he was wrapping his cape around Luke's shoulders.

As Luke took the hem in his hand and stared into the fire, he spoke, "Father? If Palpatine ever does find a new apprentice, and you can get away from him, you'll let me know, won't you? I'd be happy to help you. We could hide someplace like this, and I could buy the things we need. It would be kind of wonderful. Like camping, almost."

He looked up at his father with a smile.

Vader turned sharply away, "I forgot to put out something to collect water in. I'll go look for something."

Luke watched as his father left, wondering if that was what it had looked like, his father being overwhelmed by Luke's dedication. Luke told himself that that wasn't it, that his father was only doing that now because it had just occurred to him.


	4. Vader II

Vader hurried out of the cave, blushing under his mask. Luke was willing to give up everything he had to stay with his father, and that was more dedication than anyone had had to him in his son's entire lifetime.

He couldn't bring himself to re-enter the cave, and have to face Luke's promise. So he started climbing down the mountain again, determined to reach their ships and find something there so as not to waste the remains of the ships.

It wouldn't take him nearly as long to climb back up as it had with Luke. He had taken the slope slowly so that his son would be able to keep up. He felt ashamed that he'd begun to carry his son on their way up. It had been demeaning to Luke. He hadn't meant to hurt his feelings, but he'd become impatient.

He vowed not to do that to Luke again, if the opportunity came. He would learn to be more patient if it would help Luke not to be embarrassed.

At last, he leapt the last few meters, landing carefully and setting off in the direction of their ships. As he neared them, he noticed smoke rising from them. Frustrating. That meant that some of the scrap would have been ruined.

He continued towards the burning wreckage, glad that Luke had left Artoo back with the Alliance for some cleaning.

When he reached the ships, he pulled out a melted piece of metal with heat-resistant gloves and formed it into a bowl. Then, because it was his own ship that was burning, not Luke's, he opened one of the panels in his son's ship and removed an extra case of supplies. If they were stuck, they were going to need the supplies.

Just so as to be careful, he levitated Luke's ship away from his own burning one. After years of training with the Force, there was no strain whatsoever. Perhaps it would be wise to carry the entire ship back, at least to the base of the mountain.

Vader looked at the still hovering dead ship and thought about it.

At last it occurred to him that taking it back would give him an excellent reason not to go back to his son immediately. The ship was coming with him. He guided it back to the foot of the mountain, and took the bowl and the container of supplies to the top in a series of bounds.

He landed at last beside the cave and put down the supplies.

"Man, I wish I could do that," a voice said wistfully.

Vader spun, reaching for his lightsaber, but it was only Luke, sitting at the edge of the cliff, from which he had apparently watched his father's climb.

Vader opened his mouth to snarl, but Luke didn't seem to have meant any disrespect. He was just sitting silently at the edge of the cliff, continuing to watch as his father started leaping back down the mountain.

As Vader returned to the foot of the mountain, he took another container and began up the mountain again. As he approached the top, he was aware of his son gazing down at him.

Luke. Always near now. Always distracting.

Vader missed being alone at times, almost. With his son watching his every move there was a feeling of being monitored. He didn't want to do anything to scare his son. But sometimes, he really did need to destroy something. Or someone, but the only available someone was his son, and therefore off limits.

He tried to force himself to ignore his son's gaze, putting the box down atop the first one and beginning back down the mountain.

As he returned with a third box, his son was still waiting at the top. He dumped it atop the first two, and began back down the mountain at a faster pace. Why couldn't Luke stop staring and find something useful to do? Why did he have to be so avidly interested in every move his father made?

As he turned about to begin the leaps up the mountain, though, he found himself gazing up at a rebel shuttle. Immediately, he ducked behind a huge rock.

He sensed in the Force that his son had gone to the ship. Now he had only to wait for the ship to be gone, and he could resume his climb up the mountain. Luke would be happier and safer somewhere away from Vader. He could forget about their family ties, and he would be happier for it. He would go back to his friends and return to hating everything about the Empire.

Vader just wished he'd said goodbye. He wished he hadn't been frustrated with his son last time he'd looked at the boy. More than anything, he wished he'd thought to return Luke's kindness regarding their connection. It would have only been right to answer Luke's promises of protection with his own.

That was how it was supposed to be. A father was supposed to protect his child, not the other way around. How had their roles been so completely reversed? For all his innocence and childish enthusiasm, Luke was certainly the more mature of the two.

To try to distract himself from the idea of his son leaving him, and being happier for it, and to avoid thinking about his failures as a father, he tried to imagine the boy growing up with him.

Luke must have been adorable as a toddler. As he thought it, he smiled. Adorable, certainly. A handful, even more definitely. Probably a handful of garment as his guardian pulled him away from whatever danger he had most recently decided was fascinating.

Vader smiled again, thinking of how like Anakin Luke was. He felt he should hate the idea, as he hated his past self, but somehow Luke made all of Anakin's faults his own in such a way that it was impossible for Vader to see them as faults. Anakin's impatience was translated into Luke's enthusiasm. His daredevil nature was channeled into Luke's willingness to do anything for those he loved. And Anakin's fatal flaw, his love, had been transformed into Luke's compassionate affection for all around him.

Vader closed his eyes silently, resting his helmet against the rock behind him. Why had the Force chosen him as its 'Chosen One'? Why hadn't it chosen Luke?

He wrenched his thoughts away as they finally landed on how much better a husband Luke was going to be. He looked up the mountain, expecting to see the ship flying away, but it had landed, and unless he was much mistaken, there was a small form, dressed in bright orange, leaping down the mountain towards himself.

Reaching into the Force, it was unavoidably Luke.

Without a second's thought, he came out from behind the rock he'd been hiding behind, "Luke! Stop! You're going to kill yourself!"


	5. Luke III

"You're going to kill yourself!" Vader called up from below Luke.

Instantly, Luke's already fragile focus was broken. He found himself looking down at his father instead of the next rock he'd meant to land on.

Naturally, he missed by a mile.

As he fell, he didn't shout. He didn't have time. As he was suddenly caught by something he couldn't see, he began to shiver frantically. As he found the courage to look down, he found himself looking at the ground, which was suddenly fairly near, and still rushing towards him at an alarming rate.

He forced himself not to look away, and saw the ground begin to move towards him more slowly. And there, right under him, was his father, arms outstretched.

By the time Vader caught Luke, he was moving at a safe few miles an hour.

Luke was, however, still shivering frantically, and found himself unable to let go of his father's neck, which he had grabbed in automatic reflex.

Vader tried to set Luke on the ground, but Luke continued to hold on.

"Luke, let me go."

Through clenched teeth, Luke muttered, "I'm trying."

"Trying?" Vader asked, sounding very confused.

"I feel a bit safer because you're holding me up. That scared the living daylights out of me, and I can't let go of you. I physically cannot release you, honest!"

Luke wasn't quite sure if the sound his father made was a laugh or a growl. He hoped it was a laugh, and returned to trying to unclasp his arms. Finally, he was able to force his left hand to release his right, but the prosthetic was still stiff and unmoving.

"Father? I think there's something wrong with the prosthetic again. I still can't let go, but I'm emotionally up to it now."

Vader made the strange sound again, and Luke decided it must be laughter. He felt his father use the Force to pry his hands apart, and Vader set him on the ground.

"Luke, you've messed up that hand somehow."

Looking at the broken prosthetic, Luke had to agree. He gave it a good shake, hoping it would do something to help.

"I guess. I might have got some sand in it when we were on Tatooine saving Han, I guess."

"Go back to your friends and make sure you get that fixed."

"Okay. Come on," Luke said, nodding. As he looked up, anticipating another slow climb, he was grateful to see that the ship had started down towards them, "Oh, that's nice. Look, they're coming down to get us."

Far from being glad, as Luke had been, Vader seemed downright panicked.

"Luke, go to them, I'm not coming."

Luke's stomach leapt into his throat, "What do you mean you're not coming? Of course you're coming! Han said Palpatine found a new apprentice, and so he won't be coming for you! Someone called Jade, I think he said."

"Mara Jade. She's worked for him a long time. But that's beside the point. Luke, if I come with you, I'll only be a burden on all involved. It's better that I stay here, and you go back to your friends. You belong with them, and I," he paused, "I don't."

"Then where do you belong, Father?" Luke asked desperately, "Come on! If Palpatine's replaced you, then your home should be with your son, shouldn't it?"

Vader shook his head slowly, "It should be. But, Luke, you've already got a home. And I know you're happy there, so don't lie. I'll find my own place somehow."

"No, you won't! Not if you can't get off the planet! Please, at least let us get you off this rock!"

"What kind of future do you think I have, Luke? This armour isn't a joke. It's not," Vader made the sound again, "Some kind of bizarre fashion choice. This keeps me alive, and without it I'll die, and with it, I'll be recognized. I made the wrong choices, Son, and now I can't leave them behind."

"Well, you can't leave me behind either! If you don't come with us, I'm staying right here with you!"

"Luke, calm down," Vader said gently, as if he thought that it would be enough to try to reason with his son, "I know that this isn't your place, but it's as close as I'm ever going to get to having my own place again. Go with your friends, and have a good life for me, alright?"

It was then that Luke realized what his father was saying. It made sense, of course, machinery wasn't built to last forever, Luke's own prosthetic was only too happy to remind him of that, and if Vader couldn't get the maintenance he needed on his suit, he would die.

"You can't stay here to die!" Luke shouted, feeling his voice break.

He sensed his father smiling kindly at him, "Luke, I don't have much of a choice, do I? Besides, you were right when you said this place was beautiful."

"I meant beautiful for a while! For camping! For nothing in particular! Not for dying!" Luke grabbed his father's shoulders, and tried very hard to shake him. Because of Vader's size and strength, Luke's attempts did absolutely nothing.

Vader laughed again, "Thank you, Luke. I love you. Now go to your friends. I'll be all right here, I promise."

Luke took a deep breath and tried to get his emotions under control, "You must have a very different idea of alright, then. Dying is not alright!" His attempts at calming down were gone.

"Luke. Go to your friends. I'm staying here. I think we've already proven that you can't even physically shake me. You certainly can't drag me along."

"I don't want to drag you anywhere! Why won't you come? Please, it's not like you've got anything to lose!"

"Except my dignity," Luke had the strangest feeling his father had one eyebrow raised.

"You still have that? Come on, you've been walking around doing someone else's biding my entire life, wearing this stupid uniform and generally not being able to be normal and you claim to have dignity?" the words were out before Luke could stop them.

Luke was absolutely certain he sensed his father smile that time, "That might be the best argument you've come up with yet."

"I know," Luke said, running a hand through his hair, "I know. I'm getting desperate. It's just… if you're absolutely sure that you're just going to die, can't I at least be with you while it happens?"

"You don't want that. There's nothing in the galaxy worse than having your only parent die in your arms."

"Yes! Yes there is! It would be a million times worse to know that I'd left you here to die! That I'd left you all alone!"

Han had landed the Falcon behind them at that point, and had been watching the exchange with great confusion.

"Vader, I don't like you at all," he began, and Luke let out a breath. If Han was on his side, everything would be okay, "But if you leave the kid now, he'll never get over it. Don't you dare think you're doing it for him, either, because all you're doing is hurting him."

Luke nodded frantically, "Yeah. Please stay."

Leia came down the ramp of the Falcon as well, "Han may not like you, granted. I actively hate you. I hope you don't blame me for that," she added sarcastically, "But somehow I can't help holding the destruction of my home planet against you. But if Luke cares this much about you, and you don't come, it will be the grain that broke the bantha's back. He's come close to complete meltdown before, and if you make him leave you behind, he'll go over the edge."

Luke nodded again, too concerned to care about what his friends said about his mental health, "You've got to come, please!"

Vader looked between the three of them before finally, slowly nodding.

Luke turned to smile at his friends, then as he turned back to his father, he fainted.


	6. Vader III

Vader blinked at his unconscious son in surprise. Without thinking about it, he'd caught the falling boy, but he was startled beyond words. Not knowing what else to do, he lifted the boy in his arms and carried him to the Falcon. Leia and Han both looked at Luke with concern, but Luke was already blinking again.

"Huh? What happened?"

"You blacked out," Vader explained simply.

"I did?"

"Yeah, Kid. You did," Han answered.

Luke seemed to realize where he was, "We're on the Falcon! Does that mean you're definitely coming?"

"Yes, Luke. I'm coming. I promised you, and that was when you fainted."

"I guess I was just too excited. I can't believe it!" Luke said happily, climbing out of Vader's arms as he spoke.

Vader shared his smile and pulled the boy close with one arm, "I'm glad that this arrangement makes you happy."

Luke simply kept smiling giddily around at his friends.

"Why don't you go wash yourself, Luke? You're still covered in mud from patching the holes in your shelter."

Luke seemed to snap out of it, at least a little bit. He nodded and hurried off saying, "I'll be back in a few minutes!"

Vader was left with Han and Leia, both of whom were glaring at him.

He didn't know what to say. Was there even a way to say 'I'm sorry I tortured you and blew up your planet, so thanks for saving me'?

"As long as Luke wants you to stay, I'll tolerate you," Leia said.

"I'll go with the same rule," Han agreed.

Vader nodded.

"Stay here and wait for Luke. We'll go take off," Han said.

Vader nodded again and watched their retreating backs.

Within minutes, his son bounced back into the room, clean and dressed in Tatooine farm clothes. Vader blinked disbelievingly at Luke's attire, but Luke didn't seem to notice.

"What're we gonna do while we wait?"

Vader shook his head, "I have no idea."

"Wanna play a game?" Luke asked, gesturing to a nearby game table.

Vader nodded hesitantly, "I suppose."

"Great!" Luke smiled widely, hurrying to turn the board on.

Vader sat down and they began the game.

"What are we gonna do once we get to the base?"

"Luke, I don't know what goes on at your rebel bases. You tell me."

"I dunno. This has never really happened before, has it?"

Vader smiled, "It almost certainly has not."

"Yeah, exactly. So I'm not sure what's going to happen. I think we should probably make sure that they can fill all your needs. I don't think we have any members who are as… uh, mechanical, other than droids."

Vader nodded.

"Then I'd like to see if they've got anything edible in the cafeteria."

"You should go there first."

"No, I've got to come with you, or someone might hurt you."

Vader smiled at his son's protectiveness. He wasn't quite sure Luke had the influence needed to prevent that. He wasn't a particularly intimidating figure who could simply snap commands and have them followed. If that was their plan, it would probably work better for Vader to go alone.

"Oh, that's gotta hurt," Luke said, watching as one of his monsters was clubbed by one of Vader's.

Vader laughed, "You notice the strangest things."

Luke smiled up at him, "Yeah, I guess. Really, though, the club went part way through his head before there was any resistance!"

Vader rolled his eyes, and tasked another monster with attacking one of Luke's characters. He smiled again at the expression of distaste on Luke's face as the next character's head was bitten clean off.

Vader was impressed by his son's ability with the game, but he beat Luke easily. Luke, far from seeming upset or disappointed, watched the death of each character with interest.

"How many murder animations does this have?"

Vader smiled, "I have no idea."

"Huh," Luke said, looking at the bottom of the table, as if looking for a memory card, "Here we go. How many do you think this could hold?"

Vader took the card from his son's fingers and turned it over, "Several thousand."

Luke took the card back, putting it back in the table. As the boy struggled to re-insert the card, Vader noticed a bulging spot in the wall.

"Luke, there's something wrong with your friend's ship."

"Yeah," Luke said, coming out from under the table, "That's nothing new. Just ignore it and hope the hyperdrive is still functioning."

"Your optimism is incredible," Vader said.

Luke grinned, "Yeah, I'm waiting for this thing to fall apart in space. Han says it's got a ways to go yet, though."

"I'm going to fix that," Vader said.

Luke yelped and grabbed his father's wrists before Vader could stand, "Don't do that! He'll kill you!"

Vader sat down again, "Luke, if I don't fix that, it will kill all of us."

"Han!" Luke shouted through the ship, "There's something wrong back here!"

"I'm coming!" the pirate answered.

"No, Father can fix it!"

"Don't you dare let him touch the workings of my ship!" Han answered, racing into the room.

"Oh, Han, you have no faith."

"Yeah, well, you have no common sense."

To Vader's surprise, Luke grinned, "You're one to talk. Whose clever idea did you say it was to fly into an asteroid field to get away from a few imperial ships?"

Han turned back to Luke from where he had been working on the panel Vader had noticed, "Okay, first of all, it was more than a _few_, and it did save us all in the end, even you."

Luke shrugged, smiling slightly smugly.

"Your friend's idea was a good one. It nearly shook us off."

Luke kept smiling.

Vader turned to Han, "He's being giddy, isn't he?"

Han nodded, still looking perplexedly into the hole in the wall, "I think you managed to fulfill all his dreams, but he made it easy for you."

Vader nodded. Luke's smile was starting to become a bit glazed.

"Wake up, Luke."

Luke blinked rapidly and smiled apologetically, "Sorry. Daydreaming."

Vader smiled, "You're good at that, aren't you?"

"It's what he does best. I mean, he does lots of things well, but he does that best," Han answered.

Vader nodded. He had thought that learning to live with the Alliance would be hard, but Han had been fantastically willing to forgive, and even Leia hadn't tried to kill him. Yet.

"Stop!" Vader called. Han's hydrospanner had been wandering dangerously close to a delicate spot in the malfunction. Just to be certain, Vader caught the man's hand in the Force and yanked it away.

Han glowered at him, "You don't tell me what to do with my ship," he said clearly.

Vader was beyond caring if Han was furious, "Don't you see what you were about to do? That spot can't take the stress of you poking at it! You nearly just dumped us out of hyperspace in the middle of nowhere. Give me that hydrospanner."

Han surrendered it, looking sulky, but apparently having noticed his error. He watched very closely as Vader continued to work. At last, Vader put the tool back in Han's toolkit and returned to Luke as if nothing had happened.

Han glared at him a moment longer and stomped out of the room.

"I think you just made it a lot harder for him to accept you," Luke said.

"Yeah," Vader nodded, "But I think it would have been even harder for him if we'd all died."

"I guess."

The princess stuck her head in to tell them that they'd exited hyperspace and would be landing soon, then left again as if unwilling to look at Vader.

"You know, this is going to make it a lot harder for you too," Vader warned, "You still have a few minutes to let your friends kill me. It would be for the best."

Luke didn't answer. He didn't look upset. He didn't even flinch. It was more final than any denial so far. Luke was so opposed to it that he refused to even talk about it.

The ship shuddered violently as it landed, and Luke leapt up, grabbing his father and starting to hurry him towards the exit.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Leia said.

Vader turned to face her, expecting her to be pointing a blaster at either himself or Luke. To his relief, she wasn't.

"I'll cover for you. If you can sneak him up to your room, I'll convince them that this is a good idea."

Luke nodded, "Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd still be fixing vaporators. That's what," Leia said sharply, pushing past Vader and down the ramp.

Luke lagged for a while before starting to drag his father off to his quarters. Vader followed him, smiling at his attempts to move more quickly, and how completely ineffectual they were, and trying to forget his other entrances into new lives.

Being born, he had entered slavery.

Leaving slavery, he had entered the treacherous Jedi Order.

Leaving the Order, he had joined the Sith.

Leaving the Sith to go to his son and join the Alliance had to be a better idea. It just had to.


End file.
